2008Physical Review ERequires access

How random is dice tossing?

Jan Nagler, Péter Richter

Open publisher page 17 citations

Abstract

Tossing the dice is commonly considered a paradigm for chance. But where in the process of throwing a cube does the randomness reside? After all, for all practical purposes the motion is described by the laws of deterministic classical mechanics. Therefore the undisputed status of dice as random number generators calls for a careful analysis. This paper is an attempt in that direction. As a simplified model of a dice a barbell with two marked masses at its tips and only two final positions is considered. It is shown how, depending on initial conditions and the degree of dissipation during bounces, the outcome is only more or less unpredictable: the system is not truly random but pseudorandom--even under conditions where it appears to be random.

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What this paper is about

Tossing the dice is commonly considered a paradigm for chance. But where in the process of throwing a cube does the randomness reside? After all, for all practical purposes the motion is described by the laws of deterministic classical mechanics. Therefore the undisputed status of dice as random number generators calls for a careful analysis. This paper is an attempt in that direction. As a simplified model of a dice a barbell with two marked masses at its tips and only two final positions is considered. It is shown how, depending on initial conditions and the degree of dissipation during bounces, the outcome is only more or less unpredictable: the system is not truly random but pseudorandom--even under conditions where it appears to be random.

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Available abstract

Tossing the dice is commonly considered a paradigm for chance. But where in the process of throwing a cube does the randomness reside? After all, for all practical purposes the motion is described by the laws of deterministic classical mechanics. Therefore the undisputed status of dice as random number generators calls for a careful analysis. This paper is an attempt in that direction. As a simplified model of a dice a barbell with two marked masses at its tips and only two final positions is considered. It is shown how, depending on initial conditions and the degree of dissipation during bounces, the outcome is only more or less unpredictable: the system is not truly random but pseudorandom--even under conditions where it appears to be random.

Key concepts: Dice, Randomness, Coin flipping, Random number generation, Pseudorandom number generator, Computer science, Cube (algebra), Mathematics

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